WAITING ON GOD

– Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV)

 This whole idea of waiting goes against what we naturally and culturally do. When our natural inclination is to step on the gas, God is often telling us to hit the brakes. Waiting is often difficult because we equate it with inactivity. But waiting, which can also be translated as hoping, means to wait with expectation, to look for. The implication is that we are waiting and watching with expectation towards what God is going to do.

During these periods of waiting, God is often refueling and refining us for what He has in store. Everything around you needs to be refueled after much use. Your car has to stop for gas, your body needs to sleep, and your cell phone needs to be recharged. So, why can’t this be the case with our spiritual life as well? What may seem like inactivity from our perspective is often purposeful preparation from God’s perspective. Be encouraged that those who wait end up even stronger after the Lord renews them.

If you are in one of those seasons…
-Are you allowing God to refuel you?
-Are you tuning into His voice?
-Are you recognizing His activity around you?

How do you respond to these periods of waiting on God?

GOD PROMISES HE NEVER CHANGES

(Malachi 3:6) “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
One of the divine attributes of God is His immutability, which means God does not change. Another of His divine attributes is His omniscience which means God knows everything. He knows the end from the beginning. This should bring comfort to us as Christians because God not only knows our hearts, but His promises toward us never change.

However, sometimes God’s omniscience or foreknowledge can cause confusion for us, especially when reading various Bible passages. Because of the limitation of our language we can have trouble presenting the concept of God’s foreknowledge and therefore it can appear that God changed His mind. When in reality God has given choices to people in the Bible knowing ahead of time what their response would be.

This means God knows ahead of time those who, when presented with a trial or a choice by God will drop to their knees in repentance and prayer. An example of this is Hezekiah, who when told of his pending death prayed to the Lord. As a result God extended his life. God knew Hezekiah would turn to the Him in prayer. However, for Hezekiah’s sake God gave him the choice to help the spiritual growth of Hezekiah.

What this means for us is that God can allow trials to touch our lives in order to perform a spiritual work in someone He knows will respond correctly. After which the Lord brings the reward He planned from the beginning. Not because God changed His mind, but because God knew by allowing the trial, He would bring about spiritual growth in that individual.

ARE WE LIVING ABUNDANT LIVES?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Despite our humble, modest circumstances, are we living abundant lives? Despite our lack of toys, a mansion on the lake, or a Rolls-Royce on our driveway, are our lives better than we ever expected? Or do we feel that life has passed us by, serving us the dregs instead of the wine? If so, could it be that we need a change of perspective?

The big “secret” is that the abundant life is contained in the keeping of God’s commandments, in tandem with the grace supplied through Jesus Christ. John writes, “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17, ESV). Jesus came to give man the means by which he could properly keep God’s commandments; His grace puts commandment-keeping in its proper place. Once a person is living this way—what Paul calls “walk[ing] in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-25)—his life is naturally going to be abundant because he is no longer under the penalties and curses that breaking the law exacts (see verse 18). His life will be pleasing to God, and He will bless him, now and in the life to come (Psalm 19:11; Proverbs 11:18; Matthew 6:33; Revelation 11:18; 22:12)!

Are our lives abundant? Are we reaping the rewards of following God’s way of life? Have we begun to enjoy the benefits of keeping God’s commandments?

Every Sabbath, we enjoy the benefits of keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8-11), including physical rest, time with our families, fellowship with our brethren, and communion with and instruction from God. It may not be “exciting,” but it is living as He wants us to live.

The same is true of keeping the other commandments. If we have happy families and marriages, we are reaping the benefits of keeping the fifth and seventh commandments (verses 12, 14). If people find us trustworthy and honest, we are being rewarded for keeping the eighth and ninth commandments (verses 15-16). If we are content in our circumstances, our peace of mind derives from practicing the tenth commandment (verse 17).

Moreover, if we see spiritual growth taking place, and if we are producing good fruit in our lives, we are experiencing the results of a strengthening relationship with God, encapsulated in the first four commandments (verses 2-11; Matthew 22:37-38). Such a relationship with our Creator is the key to abundant living, for there is no greater, more satisfying accomplishment than that among men!

When we reach this point, we will have learned the godly perspective, and we will know that the life of God we live is definitely abundant living—no matter what our circumstance (Philippians 4:11)!

IT’S THE MESSAGE, NOT THE MESSENGER

Mark 1:6

Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. (Mark 1:6 ESV)

 

A friend of mine was recently telling me of the hard time he had concentrating on a DVD series of preaching he was watching. It wasn’t because the teacher wasn’t a good teach or that his teaching was wrong. It was because of what the teacher was wearing and his surroundings. The teacher was dressed in an old suit and his surroundings looked like an older church building.

You see, my friend comes from a church where the pastor dresses hip and the church has big screens and cool lights. He ended up enjoying the DVD series, but needed to make sure he had the right attitude while watching them. Because of this attitude shift he learned a lot and grew in his spiritual life.

I wonder how many of us do this exact same thing when we see someone teaching the Bible? Do we look at their clothes and their surroundings and assume they won’t understand our culture or be relevant to us? It can work the other way around too. I have had older people ask for my forgiveness after preaching because they judged me by my appearance and age.

Imagine John the Baptist. He must have been a sight to see when he came out of the wilderness in prophet’s garb, wearing camel’s hair clothing while yelling at people and telling them they were sinners. But Jesus said that there was no greater man than him (Luke 7:28). How would we react to John the Baptist today? What we must remember is that it is the power of the message and not the image of the messenger. God’s word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and breaks all barriers and bridges cultures whenever preached.

Have you been judging the message by the messenger?

KEEPING YOUR WORD

by Charles R. Swindoll

1 Chronicles 17:16-27; 2 Chronicles 6:12-15; Psalm 145:13

March 11, 1942, was a dark, desperate day at Corregidor. The Pacific theater of war was threatening and bleak. One island after another had been buffeted into submission. The enemy was now marching into the Philippines as confident and methodical as the star band in the Rose Bowl parade. Surrender was inevitable. The brilliant and bold soldier, Douglas MacArthur, had only three words for his comrades as he stepped into the escape boat destined for Australia:

I SHALL RETURN.

Upon arriving nine days later in the port of Adelaide, the sixty-two-year-old military statesman closed his remarks with the sentence:

I CAME THROUGH AND I SHALL RETURN.

A little over 2 1/2 years later—October 20, 1944, to be exact—he stood once again on Philippine soil after landing safely at Leyte Island. This is what he said:

This is the voice of freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philippines: I HAVE RETURNED!

MacArthur kept his word. His word was as good as his bond. Regardless of the odds against him, including the pressures and power of enemy strategy, he was bound and determined to make his promise good.

This rare breed of man is almost extinct. Whether an executive or an apprentice, a student or a teacher, a blue or white collar worker, a Christian or a pagan—rare indeed are those who keep their word. The prevalence of the problem has caused the coining of a term painfully familiar to us in our era: credibility gap. To say that something is “credible” is to say it is “capable of being believed, trustworthy.” To refer to a “gap” in such suggests a “breach or a reason for doubt.”

Jurors often have reason to doubt the testimony of a witness on the stand. Parents, likewise, have reason at times to doubt their children’s word (and vice versa). Citizens frequently doubt the promises of politicians, and the credibility of an employee’s word is questioned by the employer. Creditors can no longer believe a debtor’s verbal promise to pay, and many a mate has ample reason to doubt the word of his or her partner. This is a terrible dilemma! Precious few do what they say they will do without a reminder, a warning, or a threat. Unfortunately, this is true even among Christians.

Listen to what the Scriptures have to say about keeping your word:

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor. (Ephesians 4:25 NIV)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Colossians 3:17 NIV)

O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity . . .
And speaks truth in his heart. (Psalm 15:1-2)

It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. (Ecclesiastes 5:5 NIV)

When a man . . . takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. (Numbers 30:2 NIV)

Question: Judging yourself on this matter of keeping your word, are you bridging or widening the credibility gap? Are you encouraging or discouraging others? Let me help you answer that by using four familiar situations.

1. When you reply, “Yes, I’ll pray for you”—do you?

2. When you tell someone they can depend on you to help them out—can they?

3. When you say you’ll be there at such-and-such a time—are you?

4. When you obligate yourself to pay a debt on time—do you?

Granted, no one’s perfect. But if you fail, do you own up to it? Do you quickly admit your failure to the person you promised and refuse to rationalize around it? If you do, you are really rare . . . but a person of genuine integrity. And one who is an encouragement and can encourage others.

Do you know something? I know another One who promised He would return. He, too, will keep His word. In fact, He’s never broken one promise. There’s no credibility gap with Him.

He will return!

IS THERE GRASS ON YOUR PATH?

Psalms 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Early African believers were earnest and regular in private devotions. The missionary taught about prayer closets, except the natives had never seen a closet. So instead of a private prayer closet, they came up with a private spot in the wilderness. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time, the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

Prayer is a time when we can be completely intimate with the Lord — we can share all our burdens, heartaches, situations and life struggles… but sometimes we need to get away into the thicket, alone, and be intimate with Him! The Lord loves to be intimate with us! He doesn’t want a superficial relationship of recited prayers — but a deep relationship with Him — the One who loves us with a love that is everlasting!

If grass has begun to grow on your path, take some time out and find your way to that spot in the thicket today. God awaits you!

DOUBLE MINDED
By Ron Graham

“A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways,” James 1:8. In the scope of what James is referring to here we find that a man who is double minded is as unsettled as a wave of the sea driven by the wind.

Double minded in the Greek is “dipsychos” meaning “divided in interest”, or “two-souled.” It can also mean wavering, uncertain, doubting. Unstable in the Greek is “akatastatos” signifying unrestrained, unruliness, restlessness, unsettled, and disorderly. A double minded person, being unstable, is someone who, no matter what he hears can’t make up his mind as to what is true and what is false.  He isn’t grounded in any particular doctrinal idea, but is tempted by a melting pot of them all. He can be, and will be tossed around by any change that comes along. Certainly anyone who falls into this category isn’t fit to serve God as a pastor, teacher, evangelist, or leader in Christ’s Church. Christians who’ve allowed themselves to be led or pushed into all different types of strange doctrines, because of their inability to recognize the truth of God’s word, are most assuredly “Double Minded”.

Christians in this day and age seem to be willing to fall for anything as long as it feels good or feels right. Our feelings and our senses are not to be trusted. We need to lean on the inerrant word of God for our refuge. Strange teachings which are completely unbiblical appeal to those who aren’t familiar with scriptures. I keep harping on this trend which is subtly creeping into our Christian lives and is not going away any time soon. The appeal of these grossly false teachings is getting bigger and stronger all the time. These falsehoods are becoming so main stream that they have taken on a life of their own.

Followers of false teachers aren’t hypnotized and they aren’t forced in any way to believe in these falsehoods. I find it difficult to believe that Christians who are well versed in the scriptures would ever allow themselves to be so completely deceived. If a Christian has not studied the Bible, he can only blame himself for being unable to discern the truth from a lie, which is what the enemy is counting on.

Double minded people are those who say one thing and do another. The men and women who lead in the arena of unbiblical teachings are double minded. They have an agenda and it has little to do with God. It may sound good, even good enough to fall for. Christians who follow these quacks and adhere to their teachings are being led into a life that is unstable, and as we read in the verse above they are “unstable in all their ways”.

I have written before about the believer’s foundation which is Jesus the Christ. The Foundation of the Church is being replaced by false doctrines taught by teachers who are themselves deceived, and those listening to them are allowing the word of man to supplant the word of God. False teachers abound but that would not be the case if we would study our Bibles. These charlatans come and go, and now and then they have such an attractive but deceptive message that they are able to cut out a niche for themselves from within the seemingly huge pool of gullible Christians who are wandering around waiting for someone to grab them and feed them with whatever lies sound the best. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived,” 2 Timothy 3:13.

Let me put it in terms everyone can understand. If I was to say to you that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Rome, Italy, would you believe me? Of course not. And why not? Because there are still people alive today who saw the assassination take place in Dallas, Texas. That historical event is recorded in books for all to read. On the other hand if we aren’t familiar with what the history books have recorded about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and someone tells us JFK was shot with a bow and arrow for example, we might believe that falsehood since we have no knowledge of the event other than what we were just told, and if we don’t go to the history books for ourselves then we will certainly believe a lie. The same is true with the word of God. If we have little or no knowledge pertaining to the truth of God’s word, then we can easily be deceived. The whole idea behind these false teachings is that those who teach them know many Christians don’t, or won’t, study their Bibles and so the fields are ripe for the harvesting.

I believe the inerrant word of God is God breathed. I believe it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Some of the readers of this commentary may recognize the above words as coming from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, but many others will not have a clue they came from the Bible and they are the ones who run the risk of being led astray by false teachers. Suppose you were in a Bible class and the class leader was teaching from the Gospel of John and made the claim that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was a God. Should someone in the class stand up and correct the teacher? Would anyone in the class even realize the mistake the Bible teacher made? Was that teacher being deceptive in the subtle change of the first verse of John’s Gospel? Perhaps the students didn’t hear the mistake. Or maybe no one in the class has a clue of what the first verse in John’s Gospel says. The latter seems to be the case. Perhaps you noticed I haven’t pointed out the mistake I’ve alluded to. Anyone who has studied their Bible will immediately catch the mistake.

I’ve heard Bible teachers say “If it’s not in the Bible, and if Jesus didn’t talk about it, or if it wasn’t taught by any of the Apostles, then don’t believe it”, that my brethren is great advice. But if we have no idea whether or not Jesus or the Apostles spoke about a certain subject then it’s a moot point and we will be deceived. This goes for everyone on the face of this planet. If you don’t believe the Bible is God’s Word, then you have already been deceived. If you only believe what you have been told by man then their deceptions are already a part of your life. If you are following someone who says “Don’t worry about reading the Bible it’s too hard to comprehend for simple lay people, just listen to me, I’ll tell you what the Bible says”, then you are even more greatly deceived because you belong to a cult.

We believers in Christ have a sure word, a truth that can’t be disputed or denied. The word of God is ours to read; to become fully versed in the Holy Bible is something to aspire to. We aren’t to take man’s word for what the Bible says, or doesn’t say. As we are told in Acts 17:11, the Bereans accepted the word with all diligence but searched the scriptures (The Old Testament) for themselves to make sure of what they were being taught was truly from God. In other words they weren’t double minded, they were single minded when it came to searching the scriptures.

These double minded evangelists use lying signs and wonders, trickery, magic, mysticism, babble, doctrines of devils, some proclaiming a pseudo Christ without love. They are unstable in all their ways. Satanism comes in many forms. Some blatantly worship Satan, and others are unconsciously or subtly doing so. Only those who have studied their Bibles and know God’s truth can stand against this abomination. “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” I Timothy 4:2.

Many of these false teachers actually have an agenda. They are putting materialism before God. Materialism is their god. Are Christians to be taught by someone who places another god, a false god, before the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Jesus Christ is God. If we put anything before Jesus after asking Him into our lives then we are “double minded or two-souled” divided in our interest.

How then can we keep from being deceived by all the false claims floating around out there? We must be constantly in His word. Read it, learn it, and memorize all the scripture verses you can, relying on the whole council of God. Take a pocket sized Bible with you everywhere you go. How in God’s name can Christians be so deceived by these charlatans who are so far off base when it comes to God’s word? Are they checking their brains at the door of these great halls and walking in completely unarmed? That’s exactly what Satan is depending on. Christians from all over the country and from all walks of life are drawn to these so called evangelistic revivals. Satan is depending on the fact that they’ve left behind their only source of protection, God’s word.

My Brethren, the end is near; even now we are at a precipice as we hold fast and stand firm on our faith. We must rely on the word of God to keep us from falling into the great abyss which is Satan’s domain (temptations and lies). Satan will become more and more determined to push all his agendas and pigheaded (unstudied) Christians are no stumbling block for him. He will use whatever means he has at his disposal to make it seem as though God’s word is being taught, and all the time he’s satanically encouraging falsehoods to be taught, teachings that at times will seem biblical but are in all actuality contrary to God’s word.

Certainly brethren without hesitation, and with boldness, we should proclaim the true and correct word of God. We must be ready to denounce the falsehoods as they spring forth like a flood. Allow God to empower you through His word so that you and I will be fully equipped with the armor of God. As we are told in Ephesians 6, only by being clothed with God’s armor can we then stand firm.

Standing firm on the promises of God should be our good pleasure. Allowing sleight of hand to permeate our lives will be our disgrace.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

Many followers of Jesus are totally missing out on the enjoyment of the abundant life, and most all of us go through periods of time where we are not dialed in.  It is therefore good to look at a few Scriptures on the subject.  I recommend that you read Romans 8:1-11 and II Corinthians 5:14-21 before continuing.   www.biblegateway.com is a good place to read the Scriptures online.  For most of my postings I use the New King James Version.

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep’” (John 10:7-11).

Let’s notice that Jesus is once again claiming that He is absolutely necessary for salvation.  The wonderful news is that Jesus desires to give us life and not just life, but a more abundant life.  Oh and don’t forget that life is also eternal life (John 3:16).

Romans 8 tells us that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Those who are believers in Jesus are free from the penalties of sin!  God has declared them to be innocent because of what Jesus has done.  It stands to reason that since God has not condemned us that we should not condemn ourselves.  This being said, Romans 8 continues to tell us that the flesh cannot please God. The reality is that only God the Father’s children can please the Father.  Those who refuse Him cannot please Him.  Those who are “in Christ” should walk in the Spirit we have been given knowing that in the Spirit we can and do please God.

II Corinthians 5 states that the followers of Jesus are “new creations”.  We are not defined by our past, but by our place of newness in Christ.  Because of this we can have confidence in God’s ability and desire to work in us and through us in the “ministry of reconciliation”.

In summary verse 15 of the same chapter states, “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”  The abundant life is the life that is lived for Jesus.  If your definition of an abundant life is different than that you may seek, but you will not enjoy the abundant life.  Even now Jesus holds out the offer of the abundant life for those who do not know Him to by faith believe in Him.  And for those of us who are already His, Jesus desires that today we would fully participate in the abundant life, the life free of condemnation, the life that shares in the ministry of reconciliation with Him!  May God work in your heart according to your need.

Author unknown

WHY WONT GOD JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO?

That would certainly make things simpler in life, wouldn’t it? Like if there was a blank page at the back of every Bible, and every morning you woke up and there was a personal, hand-tailored message for you from God. Telling you where to eat lunch. Letting you know how to get another job and when it’s going to happen. Informing you of the right choice to make about your relationship.

But it doesn’t work that way. At least not for me. At times, it feels like we are stumbling through the dark, groping along with our hands outstretched in front of us to keep us from bumping into something.

I suppose you could take this as evidence of the absence of God – of His distance. That He is aloof. That the details of life don’t matter that much to Him.

Or you could recognize that this apparent absence is actually evidence of the exact opposite.

Often, the Bible has been called an instruction manual for life. That’s not true. Nowhere in the Bible did I find instructions that I was to marry my wife. That we were to have children and what we should name them. That I should take a job at_______ or that we should move to _________.

If this is an instruction manual for life, it’s a bit like trying to put together a model airplane using the picture on the box. Sure, you can glean some broad details, but what about how the tiny engine blocks fits inside the frame? Or how the steering apparatus is put together? It’s those little details that are missing.

Thing is, the Bible isn’t an instruction manual for life, and because it’s not, we see that God is not absent from those small details. The Bible is the means by which we might know God in Christ, not primarily the means by which we might figure out the details of our own lives. God is the main character of the Bible; not me. And not you.

One of the characteristics revealed in the pages of Scripture is God’s desire for intimacy with His people. And perhaps that’s exactly the reason why you don’t find blank pages waiting to be filled in on a daily basis. If that were the case, then where would our relationship with God be? We would reduce Him to a cosmic slot machine who spits out answers when we pull the lever.

And you don’t love a slot machine. You USE a slot machine.

Maybe the reason God doesn’t always just tell us what to do in the details is because in this, He’s doing what He does in so many other areas of life: developing intimacy with us. He’s forcing us to talk and listen. To even argue sometimes. But to know Him rather than just His plan.

That, after all, is what eternal life is about: knowing God. Not knowing the answers.

E.M. Bounds was a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He died 110 years ago. Although he wrote several books (most on the topic of Prayer), he’s little-known today. At times his language feels archaic. And his frequent use of “men” instead of a more inclusive “people” immediately stands out in the modern reader’s mind. And he and I might differ on various issues.

But this little-known, unassuming pastor intimately knew his Savior through many hours in prayer. His passion for prayer still drips from every one of his pages, which is why I regularly re-read his works.

Christian friends, Perhaps you need to wrestle with these words as I have lately. And perhaps you need to pray more, as I have lately after re-reading his convicting thoughts:

“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use--men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men--men of prayer.” From his book, “Power through Prayer”

THE ABSENCE OF DISCERNMENT

When people ask me, “What’s the biggest problem in the church?” I always say the same thing: The absence of discernment. That is the biggest problem in the church because if you can’t discern the truth with the Word of God in your hand, with the Bible in your hand, if you can’t discern the truth, you can die of 1,000 heresies. It’s like having spiritual AIDS. People who have a deficient immune system can die of 1,000 illnesses. The church can die of 1,000 heresies if it can’t exercise discernment. This is always the issue.
And part of the responsibility of ministry is the positive side to instruct with great patience, as Paul said to Timothy. But the other side is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, and use the Word of God to do that. And to exercise discernment is at the very heart of Christian living because Christian living is a reflection of Christian thinking, and Christian thinking must be attached to sound doctrine, and that’s where discernment begins.
It is very evident that a massive part of professing Christianity lacks discernment. And so the effort is to help you to be discerning. We know there are people who are deceivers, and they know they’re deceivers. They’re false teachers, and they know they’re false teachers. They’re in it for the money, and they know they’re in it for the money.
We also know there are people caught up in the movement who are deceived and may not know they are deceived. They are brands that need to be snatched from the burning, to borrow the words from Jude. There are leaders who need to be confronted and exposed, and there are unwitting leaders who need to be helped and encouraged and know the truth.
We want to be like the noble Bereans. We want to search the Scripture and see if these things are so, measuring everything against the Word of God. And as I said a minute ago, you really are the chosen. You have a special call for this Time. This has never happened to my knowledge in the church in my lifetime, where people have come together to think about this issue.
How big is it? It’s a massive issue.
So what we want to do in these days together, and to do it faithfully, and to do it lovingly, and to do it compassionately, but to do it in a very straightforward way, is to help you see the issues for what they are and be discerning. And you then become a force of folks who can help other people to see the light.
I want you to open your Bible to Leviticus chapter 10. It is in Leviticus 10 that we find the portion of Scripture which is the source for the title of the conference, “Strange Fire.” The highest duty and the highest privilege, the most essential behavior, and the supreme responsibility for humanity is to worship God. Let me say that again because you may have been distracted in turning to your passage. The highest duty and privilege, the most essential behavior, and the supreme responsibility for humanity is to worship God.
The Father seeks true worshipers. Believers in the gospel, in the Lord Jesus Christ, are those true worshipers. This is, then, our eternal duty, and privilege, and priority. In fact, any glimpse into heaven in the book of Revelation will reveal that all who are there, both saints and angels, are glorifying God, giving Him honor. The most serious activity anyone will ever do is worship. The most serious activity anyone will ever do is worship.
And not only in heaven, but even on earth. When you come together and you say it is for the purpose of worshiping God, you have just pronounced upon yourself an urgency, and a severity, and a seriousness in the very activity in which you engage. Nothing is more serious than worship. I’m afraid in our culture, worship has become frivolous, superficial, shallow, trivialized.
This is the most serious activity anyone will ever do, worship God. We are called to worship in spirit. That means with our emotions and with our human faculties. But we also are to worship in truth, and that is according to revealed Scripture. We are to worship with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to worship in love, because we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The whole being, everything we are, is to be wrapped up in loving worship of God according to His revealed truth.
God established worship in Israel right here in the book of Leviticus. The early leaders of worship who came before God on behalf of the people were priests. And it really officially started with Aaron in the economy of Israel. Aaron is first called in Exodus chapter 29. He is consecrated in Leviticus chapter 8. And he is going to be the head of a priestly family, and they will have the responsibility of being the worship leaders for God’s people.
In chapter 9 of Leviticus, Aaron offers a sacrifice for the people to God according to God’s prescription. Aaron was told that God would respond positively when he offered that sacrifice according to the mandate that God had given. In Leviticus 9:6, “Moses said, ‘This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.’ Moses then said to Aaron, ‘Come near to the altar, offer your sin offering, your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.’ ” God had given command and Aaron was to follow that command and make that offering. And if he did it according to the plan that God had revealed, the glory of the Lord would appear as a response.
If you drop down to verse 22 of that same chapter, “Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, blessed them, stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
Aaron did what he was told and what God promised happened. If he did what God told him to do in the offering of the sacrifice, the glory of God would appear. He did that, “the glory of the Lord – ” verse 23 “ – appeared to all the people.” And then God Himself sent down fire to consume the sacrifice because God was pleased with that sacrifice.
That brings us to chapter 10. “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘It is what the Lord spoke saying, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people, I will be honored.” ’ So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”
He had just seen his two sons incinerated. “Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘It is what the Lord spoke saying, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people, I will be honored.” ’ Moses also called to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, ‘Come forward, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp.’ So they came forward and carried them still in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had said. Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so you will not die and he will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, and the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the Lord has brought about.” Called to national mourning over this. “You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent meeting or you will die; – ” the tabernacle, “ – for the Lord’s anointing oil is upon you.’ So they did according to the word of Moses.”
Aaron was obedient and God consumed the sacrifice. His two sons were disobedient, and God consumed them. I don’t want to go into all the detail of this. Suffice it to say that when you come before the Lord, you better honor the Lord. You better come in a way that is consistent with His will and revelation. This is what it means to worship in truth.
Now the sons of Aaron were very honored men, very respected men. They were priests of the one true God. The oldest was right in line for the high priest’s responsibility, next in line. Moses was their uncle. Their names headed the list of nobles of Israel in Exodus 24. They were very respected men. Apart from Abraham and Moses, they are the only ones named in Scripture the first time Scripture refers to the leaders of Israel. They were really – apart from Aaron and Moses, I mean – they were the only ones named, these two sons, when the first list of the leaders of Israel were named. And that’s in Numbers and that was really the Sanhedrin, the first 70 elders. They were not sinister. They were not wicked. They were not usurpers. They were honored men.
With the 70, they were given the privilege of coming up Sinai part way to watch from a distance as God spoke with Moses. That is a great privilege because the people were not allowed to go near the mountain, even the animals were not allowed to go near the mountain, according to Exodus chapter 19. Everybody was to stay very, very far away. People off in the desert watching the fire and smoke on the mountain while Nadab and Abihu were invited to come up. And according to Exodus 24, they saw God and they ate and drank. Privileged men, closer to God than anyone else. Only Moses would be considered closer. They seemed so secure, so secure.
And then it happened, verse 2, “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” Moses said, “Because they had come before Him in an unholy way and offered strange fire.” We don’t know what the strange fire is particularly. I think the best assumption that it’s fire from another source than the required brazen altar which God Himself from heaven had ignited. They were to take their fire from the brazen altar which God had personally lit in some supernatural way. Obviously, they brought fire from some other place, some other source. It might seem like a minor matter. It might seem to the carnal, casual, self-indulgent, flippant generation like ours that this is really a severe overreaction. Well, why does God care where the fire came from? Isn’t that a minor detail?
The same fire that ignited the sacrifice in 9:24, torched them in the 10th chapter. This is sobering and this is terrifying. It’s reminiscent of God killing Ananias and Sapphira in front of the congregation in Acts 5 because they lied to the Holy Spirit about how much money they got when they sold their property. That also might seem to a casual, carnal culture a little overreaction, or a great overreaction. But let me just make it simple for you. The most serious crimes against God occur in corrupt worship. The most serious signs, the most serious crimes, rather, against God occur in corrupt worship.
Turn, if you will, just for a minute back to the 32nd chapter of Exodus, Exodus chapter 32. I have so many things to say, we’re going to ramp up and go a little fast here. But I know you remember the story of Exodus chapter 32 because it’s the story of the golden calf. Verse 4 of that chapter, this is Aaron now who has led this.
“He took from their hand, and fashioned with a graving tool and made into a molten calf; – ” all the gold the people had brought “ – and they said, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ” The golden calf was a false representation of the true God. And the people, as it tells us in verse 6, “rose up, offered burnt offerings, peace offerings; sat down to eat and drink, rose up to play.” They were worshiping the true God in a false form, transforming the glory of God into a blasphemous misrepresentation and image.
And you know how the story went. It was a disaster for them. There was a massive slaughter. People were killed on the spot. Brother rose up against brother with a sword and hacked his own family member to death, carrying out the mandate of God to punish the worshipers who had corrupted worship.
I just want to repeat that again. The most serious crimes ever committed against God are committed in corrupt worship. That takes us to the point where we need to say the modern movement continually dishonors God in its false forms of worship. It dishonors the Father. It dishonors the Son. But most specifically, it dishonors the Holy Spirit. Irreverent ideas, irreverent actions, untrue beliefs, false claims, false promises, fleshly behaviors, all these things are attributed to the Holy Spirit, but they are a dishonor to Him that they would even be identified with His name. It’s more strange fire and the sad thing is it’s ground for judgment.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the triune God is not to be trifled with. It is dangerous to all who offer strange fire. It is dangerous to all who offer corrupt worship. It is dangerous to declare things that the Holy Spirit has not done, has not said, would not participate in as works of the Holy Spirit. That is not a small matter. It is a radical seriousness in dishonoring the Holy Spirit that apparently escapes these people.
It’s a tragic thing. In some ways it’s so ridiculous you might laugh at it. It is a tragic and agonizing irony, frankly, that those who claim to be most devoted to the Holy Spirit, those who claim to have a corner on His power, those who claim to be experiencing His presence are following patterns that blaspheme His name, and that are the same as those who are engaged with demons.
Attributing to the Holy Spirit deeds He did not do, words He did not say, experiences He does not author is a very serious crime, a very serious crime.
Am I discrediting everyone in the modern church movement? No. I think there are people in the movement who desire to worship God in a true way. They may be caught up in this false worship, as well, because intention is not enough. The movement itself – listen carefully – offers nothing to true worship. Can I say that again? The movement itself has brought us nothing to enrich true worship.
Why do I say that? Because the new movement as such has made no contribution to biblical clarity. It has made no contribution to biblical interpretation. It has made no contribution to sound doctrine. We have had an accurate biblical interpretation long before the 21st century started. We have had strong doctrine long before. We have had going back in the steady stream of faithful men, all the way to the apostles, a clear stream of truth that gives us a full rich understanding of the Word of God.
That is why a Christian today can go back and read the apostles, and then go back and read the Reformers, and read the Puritans, and follow the flow of the truth through history, and find richness, and understanding, and clarity on every issue going all the way back. They didn’t add anything to that. They brought in chaos, confusion, misrepresentation, and misunderstanding.
Do some in the new church apostacy believe the truth? They do. Do some hold a sound theology on some issues? They do. But none of those true understandings have come to them through that movement. The true understandings have always been there in the long line of godly preachers and teachers that God has used to keep the truth and to keep the church on track. The movement adds nothing to that. It detracts and it confuses. It is not a source for any advancement of our understanding of Scripture or sound doctrine.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,
and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:
thy sons shall come from far,
and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together,
and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged;
because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
all they from Sheba shall come:
they shall bring gold and incense;
and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee,
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee:
they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar,
and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly as a cloud,
and as the doves to their windows?

~Psalm 60:1-8

Even when God shines favor into our lives, it can be tempting to treat others the same way they have treated us. It seems fair to our imperfect minds that if someone else did not help us when we were down, we do not need to help them either. In contrast, God is very clear in His command for us to abandon that reasoning and instead demonstrate love to others. We are to provide for their worldly needs while also proclaiming God's Word to their lives. We should rejoice that others in the darkness can also be brought into the light, just as we have been.
-Tiffany Anne Crowder

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WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH?

The church is a creation of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 17; 15:9), founded and owned by Jesus Christ—“I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18)—and directed and energized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:5–27; Romans 12:4–5). Therefore, it is the church’s joy to look to God to explain His design for the church and His mission for it. God’s mission for the church proves to have several parts.

1. The mission of the church is to make disciples. Just before Jesus returned to heaven, He commissioned His disciples this way: “Going into all the world, make disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you” (literal translation of Matthew 28:19–20a). A disciple is a follower, someone who attaches himself to his leader. Therefore, we reason, Jesus sent the church on its mission to acquaint people in every place with Himself. As the church makes disciples, people can admire, worship, trust, follow, and obey Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The church’s members, having become enamored of Jesus Christ, assemble around Him as Master, Leader, Savior, and Friend. Our joyful mission is to put Him on display to every nation.

2. The mission of the church is to glorify Christ. Paul wrote, “In Christ we were also chosen … in order that we … might be for the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11–12). Part of God’s purpose for the church is to exalt Jesus Christ by the way that the church lives and by what it does. Christ designed His church to represent His supernatural, life-saving work to the world. In His church, Christ shows to the world what a freed and forgiven people can be—people who are satisfied with God as the result of Christ’s joyful, triumphant self-sacrifice. He has planned the church’s values to be His values. He expects its lifestyle to reflect His character (2 Corinthians 6:14—7:1; Ephesians 5:23–32; Colossians 1:13, 18; 1 Timothy 3:15). As the moon reflects the sun, so the church is to reflect the glory of God to a dark world.

3. The mission of the church is to build up the saints. The church is to encourage and comfort its individual members (1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 13:11). “There should be no division in the body, but . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25). Jesus is the chief cornerstone, and the church is likened to a building “joined together and [rising] to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22; see also 4:4–25). Jesus Christ designed His Church to showcase God’s family on earth, so that the pagan world can see how God builds His family around Jesus Christ and how that family cares for one another (see Mark 3:35 and John 13:35).

The mission of the church is to know and love Christ so supremely as to represent Him and His values accurately and vividly to the world and serve people’s deepest needs in the way Christ Himself would meet them. As W. C. Robinson says in Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is the sun about which the whole mission of the church revolves. Public worship is the encounter of the risen Redeemer with His people; evangelism is calling men to the Savior; publishing the law of God is proclaiming His lordship; Christian nurture is feeding His lambs and disciplining His flock; ministering to the needs of men is continuing the work of the Great Physician.” The church’s mission is to present Jesus Christ to the world, while He presents to the same world His rescuing work in and through His church.

CHURCH, HAVE IT YOUR WAY?

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce
Special orders, don’t upset us
All we ask is that you let us serve it your way
Have it your way.

Ah a company who cares! Burger King ran this commercial around 1974. Battling McDonald’s with the “Have it your way” campaign in 1973, Burger King put their service in the spotlight with the jingle, “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset us.” The campaign increased ad awareness by 50%. The Little King was retired, and “Have it your way” was adapted to target children with ad efforts tagged “All kids are different” and “Pickle-less Nicholas.”

And now…almost 50 years later… we have a church population that wants Church their way!
There have been differences in worship styles from different denominations as long as I can remember. Different hymns, different clothing styles, different theological emphasis.  But never held hostage by the visitor and membership like today.  Churches are having to rely on gimmicks to appease the crowds.  Coffee bars, rock bands, carefully worded sermons to make people happy.

1974 was the “coming out” of the “have it your way” cultural revolution, and it is in full swing and hitting us like a tsunami.  People are leaving the church because it does not cater to their desires.
The purpose of Worship is not to attain an emotional high, to placate the flesh, or be entertained. It is not a theater stage for dramatics or performance. The purpose of worship is to honor, glorify, and praise our holy God. John 4:23-24; Mark 7:6-13.